What Length For Honkyoku

What length flute should you use for a particular honkyoku piece? Should Kumoi Jishi always be on a short flute and Tamuke on a long flute?

THERE ARE NO RULES! Play what feels right to you. I often play Kyorei on a 1.6, for instance, although there is a recent custom of playing it on a longer flute.

There are only a couple of minor suggestions that come down to us through the tradition:

1. Kinko-ryu pieces are generally played on a 1.8, or occasionally a 1.9.

2. The ten Nezasaha pieces are generally played on a 2.0 or longer flute (this is what the current Nezasaha "establishment" prescribes).

Even these rules can be ignored, however, if you find a sound you like or a way of playing that excites you.